Nozzle adjustment for suction cleaners



March 12, 1957 s. E. KAUFMAN 2,784,441

NOZZLE ADJUSTMENT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS Filed June 22, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l M mvsmon.

George E. Kaufman Fig.2. 4

March 12, 1957 G. E. KAUFMAN 2,784,441

NOZZLE ADJUSTMENT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS Filed June 22, 1951 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. George E. Kaufman ATTORNEY.

March 12, 1957 e. E. KAUFMAN 2,784,441

NOZZLE ADJUSTMENT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS Filed June 22, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 25 INVENTOR. Geor e E.'Kuufman Fig. 10

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent NOZZLE ADJUSTMENT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS George E. Kaufman, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hfogi'ler Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation 0 10 Application June 22, 1951, Serial No. 232,950

15 Claims. (Cl. 15-359) This invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly to a two position nozzle adjustment arrangement in which the nozzle is positioned close to the floor for cleaning bare floors, thin carpets, etc., and is positioned at a higher elevation for cleaning thick napped floor coverings, etc.

Broadly, such adjustments are old in the art and are sometimes termed range shifters." Such adjustments may be made by raising and lowering the rear wheels relative to the body of the cleaner whereby the nozzle, which is positioned forwardly of the front wheels, will be raised and lowered accordingly.

In order to accomplish the above range shifter nozzle adjustment it has been proposed to pivot the rear wheels to the rear of the cleaner body on an axis extending transversely of the cleaner and to spring-bias them downwardly from the body in the low nozzle position.

It is desirable that both of the rear wheels be adjusted simultaneously so that it is unnecessary for the operator to make more than one adjustment manipulation. With some cleaners the above does not present too serious a problem. However, in suction cleaners having a converter receiving tube extending rearwardly of the body beneath the exhaust passage difficulty has been experienced in mounting the two rear wheels for simultaneous adjustment because of the presence of the converter receiving tube.

According to the present invention the problem has been solved by mounting each rear wheel on an axis extending forwardly and rearwardly of the cleaner body and connecting each mounting to a manually actuatable actuator by a mechanism which clears the converter receiving tube.

In the operation of suction cleaners it is desirable that the suction seal at the nozzle be broken at certain times in order to improve the maneuverability of the cleaner. According to the present invention a lost motion connection is provided in the mountings for the rear wheels whereby downward pressure on the rear of the cleaner will break the nozzle seal regardless of the adjusted position in which the wheels may be set.

According to another feature of the present invention, spring means is provided to bias and hold the wheels in each of their adjusted positions. In other words, by a simple manipulation the force or torque exerted by the spring means may be reversed to hold the wheels in their lower position by one manipulation and to hold them in their high positions by another manipulation.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side plan view of a suction cleaner with the present invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the rear end of the cleaner of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaner of Figs. 1 and 2 taken on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a schematic view of the cleaner of this invention with the rear wheels positioned in their lowermost position;

Figure 5 is a schematic view of the cleaner of this invention with the rear wheels in their uppermost position;

Figure 6 is a force diagram showing how the spring forces act to hold the wheels in their lowermost position as shown in Fig. 4;

Figure 7 is a force diagram showing how the springs hold the wheels in their uppermost position of Fig. 5;

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of a modification of the invention showing the wheels in their upper position;

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view of a third modification of the invention showing the rear wheels in their lowermost position; and

Figure 10 is a view similar to that of Fig. 9 showing the rear wheels in their upper position.

The cleaner to which the present invention is applied includes a main body 10 having a downwardly facing suction nozzle 11 with an agitator 12 rotatably mounted therein. The nozzle II is connected to the suction side of the fan driven by a motor housed within an appearance housing 13 so as to draw air into the nozzle 11 when the motor is energized. The agitator 12 is driven by a driving belt extending through the suction passage surrounding a pulley on the agitator and a second pulley extending from the fan in a manner well known in the art.

An exhaust passage 14 extends rearwardly from the pressure side of the fan and discharges into a filter bag 15 detachably secured to the end of the passage 14 and supported at its upper end on the handle 16 pivoted to the rear of the body 10 at 17 as shown in Fig. 2. Beneath the exhaust passage 14 is a converter tool receiving tube 18 which connects at its forward end with the suction side of the fan.

The body 10 is mounted for ambulatory movement on front wheels 19 and rear wheels 20.

The foregoing construction is old and well known in the art prior to the present invention. With such a construction it is ditficult to adjustably mount the rear wheels for raising and lowering the nozzle for cleaning different types of surfaces or floor coverings.

It is desirable in on-the-fioor cleaning to adjust the position of the nozzle to a low position for cleannig bare floors, linoleum and thin rugs and to adjust it to a higher position for cleaning thick carpets and rugs. Such adjustments are known to the art as range shifters."

One method of providing a range shifter adjustment is to adjustably mount the rear wheels so that they will occupy a low position relative to the main body for cleaning bare floors, etc., and will occupy a higher position relative to the main body for cleaning heavily napped floor coverings.

One usual mode of arriving at the above consideration is to pivotally mount the rear wheels on an axis extending transversely of the main body so that the wheels may be adjusted to assume their low and high positions.

In cleaners which have a converter passageway extending rearwardly beneath the usual exhaust passage it is difficult to mount each of the rear wheels for simultaneous adjustment.

As shown in the drawings, according to the present invention the rear wheels 20 are mounted on the outwardly extending ends or spindles on crank arms 25, pivoted to the body 10 on axes 22 which lie on either side of the body 10 and extend forwardly and rearwardly of the body 10. The wheels 20 are biased downwardly by compression springs 23 acting between abutments 24 on the body 10 and the short arms 25 of the bell cranks 21. The long arms 26 of the bel crank 21 are connected to a cross arm 27 by links 28 and 29, pivoted at 30 and 31 to the ends of the arms 26 at one of their ends and to the ends of the cross arm 27 at 32 and 33 at their other ends. The cross arm 27 is rigidly attached to one end of a shaft 34, pivoted to the top of the body 10 at 35. The opposite end of the shaft 34 extends tothe rear of the body 10 to one side of and above the exhaust passage 14 and a manually manipulatable handle 36 is rigidly attached thereto as shown in Fig. 2. A torsion spring 37 surrounds the shaft 34 and acts to oppose the compression springs 23.

As will be noted from Figs. 2 and 3 the link 29 lies forward of the handle pivot 17 and above the exhaust passage 14 beneath the appearance housing 13 so that the connection between the two rear wheels occupies a position not normally occupied and the operation of the wheel adjusting means is not interfered with by the ex haust. or converter passages 14 and 18 respectively.

It is desirable that downward movement of the handle 16., when the cleaner is in rearward position, will depress the rear of the cleaner to temporarily break the seal as the cleaner is pushed forward to make the cleaner more easily operable. For that purpose slots 38 are formed in the bell cranks 21 immediately below the pivot pins 22 so that the body 10 may move downwardly against the resistance of springs 23 when an undue downward force is applied to the handle 16.

Operation of Figs. I I

The operation of Figs. 1 to 5 is diagrammatically illustrated in Figs. 4 to 7. inclusive. Suppose the force exerted by each spring 23, less the force exerted thereon by the weight of the cleaner is represented by the letter F and their lever arms in the position shown in Figs. 4 and 6 are the distance between the pivots 32-34 and 33-34 represented by the letter a. exerted by the torsion spring 37 is T, in all positions the lever arm of force T will be a.

The springs and lever arms must be so designed that in the position shown in Figs. 4 and 6. PH: will be greater than Ta so that the wheels will be held in a downward stable position as shown in Fig. 4 to hold the nozzle 11 at the optimum height above the floor for cleaning bare floors. thin rugs. carpets. etc.

To change to high nozzle position for cleaning thick napped floor coverings the handle 36 is rotated to move the parts to the position shown in Figs. 5 and 7. The springs 23 will be compressed and their force will become greater as represented by F. However, the lever arms of spring 23 will decrease progressively and could eventually become zero if it were possible to align the links 28 and 29. Suppose that the lever arms of the force F is b in the position shown in Figs. 5 and 7. As the lever 36 moves to the position shown in Fig. 5 the spring 37 is unwound somewhat and the force exerted by it becomes smaller represented by the force T. However, the lever arm of the force T remains a. If the springs, lever arms, etc, are properly designed. a point will be reached where the torque T'a will be greater than torque FFh and the wheels 20 will be held in an upper stable position as shown in Fig. 5 with the nozzle 11 positioned upwardly from the floor for optimum cleaning eifectiveness on thick napped floor coverings.

From the foregoing it can be seen that the mechanism of Figs. 1 to 5. inclusive, acts in a manner similar to an overcenter linkage to hold the wheels 20 in two stable positions for high and low nozzle positions even though the pi ot points do not pass overcenter.

Fig. 8 shows a simple modification of a mechanism of Figs. l to 5. inclusive, in which the wheels 20 are held in both stable positions by an overcenter mechanism without the use of the torsion spring 37. Where the parts are the same they have been given the same reference characters.

The ends of the cross arm 27 are connected by links 40 and 41 pivoted at their ends to the ends of long arms 26 of bell cranks 21 and to the ends of cross arm 27 as Also suppose that the force in the first modification. The links 40 and 41 are bowed downwardly and upwardly respectively as shown at 42 and 43 so that the links will clear the pivots 32 and 33 at those points to permit the cross arm 27 to move to opposite overcenter positions shown in full lines whereby the springs 23 will hold the wheels 20 in their uppermost position to form the high nozzle position.

When the parts are moved to their dotted line position of Fig. 8 the cross arm 27 will be moved to its opposite overcenter position and the wheels 20 will be held in the normal position for low nozzle operation. In the upper position of the wheels 20 the arms 26 are held against stops 44 on the frame 10 and in their lower position are held against stops 45.

In the modification of Figs. 9 and 10 the same result can be had by a double acting cam mechanism which also acts as a sort of overcenter mechanism. Where the parts are the same they have been given the same reference numerals as in the other modification.

In this modification the cam disc is rigidly attached to shaft 34 to be rotated thereby. A pair of cam slots 51 and 52 are formed in plate 50 and receive rollers 53 and 54 carried by the inner ends on sliders 55 and 56 mounted for reciprocation of frame 10 by guides 57 and 58. Pivoted to the outer ends of sliders 55 and 56 are links 59 and 60 which are in turn pivoted at their outer ends to the upper ends 26 of bell cranks 21.

In the position shown in Fig. 9 the upper ends of the arms 26 are held against stops 46 by springs 23 with the rollers 53 and 54 positioned at the outer ends of the slots 51 and 52 in alignment with the shaft 34. The wheels 20 will be positioned in the normal position for low nozzle cleaning operation.

When the lever 36 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 10 the rollers 53 and 54 will be positioned in the inner ends of cam slots 51 and 52 on or slightly past the dead center position between the rollers 53 and 54 and shaft 34 so that the springs 23 will act to hold the wheels in an upper stable position for high nozzle operation with the legs 26 resting against stops 47.

In each of the modifications the slots 38 permit the nozzle seal to be broken by a downward movement of the handle 16 during the forward stroke to provide for better maneuverability of the cleaner whether the nozzle 11 is in its high or low position.

From the foregoing it can be seen that each of the modifications of the present invention provides a range shifter" adjustment of the nozlze by simultaneous movement of both of the rear wheels connected by a linkage mechanism extending across above the exhaust passage and forwardly of the handle pivot so as not to be obstructed in movement by the rearwardly extending converter passage or the handle pivot.

It can also be seen that the above is accomplished by pivoting each of the rear wheels on axes extending forwardly and rearwardly of the cleaner and connected by a linkage mechanism which is not required to pass beneath the converter passageway.

lt can also be seen that in each of the modifications the rear wheels are held in both their lower and upper positions automatically when moved to those positions by a linkage mechanism in which the force of the springs acts to hold the wheels in each of their stable positions when moved past a certain point in adjusting from one position to the other.

While I have shown but three modifications of my invention it is to be understood that those modifications are to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to the particular structure shown and described but to include all equivalent variations thereof except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner of the type having, a body mounted for ambulatory movement on a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels, being formed with a downwardly facing suction nozzle extending crosswise of the body forwardly of the front wheels and with an obstruction portion lying between one pair of wheels so as to obstruct direct crosswise connection between them, that improvement which comprises a selectively operable adjustment for one pair of wheels for holding them either in a low position or in a high position, said adjustment including wheel mounting spindles extending outwardly from arms mounted on each side of said body on axes extending forwardly and rearwardly of said body, manually actuatable means for pivoting said arms about said axes so as to selectively move said one pair of wheels upwardly and downwardly relative to said body to raise and lower said nozzle to its upper and lower adjustments respectively, and linkage means by-passing said obstruction portion and connecting each of said arms to said manually actuatable means whereby said one pair of wheels may be adjusted in unison.

2. In a suction cleaner according to claim 1 including spring means for biasing said arms and accordingly said spindles to either of two stable nozzle adjusting positions and said manually actuatable means being actuatable to change the torque exerted by said spring means on said arms to cause said one pair of wheels to move from one stable adjusted position to another and to remain in the position to which they are moved.

3. In a suction cleaner according to claim 1 including spring means for biasing each of said arms to opposite stable adjusted positions and said manually actuatable means and said linkage being operable to reverse the action of said spring means when said arms are moved from one stable position to their opposite stable positions. 4. In a suction cleaner of the type having a body mounted for ambulatory movement on a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels and provided with a downwardly facing suction nozzle extending laterally of the body forwardly of the front wheels, whereby movement of the rear wheels relative to the body will operate to raise and lower the nozzle and a propelling handle attached to the rear of the body, that improvement which comprises an adjustable mounting means for attaching said rear wheels to said body, said adjustable mounting means including means for movably attaching each of said rear wheels to said body and for selectively holding said rear wheels in either an upper or a lower stable position, said attaching and holding means comprising spring and linkage means having opposite stable positions and intermediate unstable positions and operable to selectively hold said rear wheels in either of their stable positions, and a lost motion connection between said mounting means and said body constructed to permit downward movement of said body relative to said rear wheels independently of said mounting means by downward pressure applied to said handle whether said rear wheels are in their upper or lower stable position.

5. In a suction cleaner according to claim 4 in which said adjustable mounting means includes a separate mounting for each of said wheels, manually actuatable means, and in which said linkage means connects said manually actuatable means to said wheel mountings for moving them in unison in adjusting said rear wheels from one adjusted position to the other.

6. In a suction cleaner of the type having a body formed with a laterally extending downwardly facing suction nozzle at its forward end, provided with from supporting wheels to the rear of the nozzle and with a pair of rear supporting wheels attached to the sides of the body and separated by a portion of the body which obstructs direct connection between them, that improvement which comprises an adjustable mounting for said rear wheels for adjustably attaching them to said body for movement to upper and lower stable positions, said mounting including a bell crank pivoted to each side of said body adjacent the rear end thereof on an axis extending forwardly and rearwardly of said body, said bell cranks each including a leg extending outwardly from said body and a leg extending in an upward direction from said pivotal axis to a point above the obstructing portion of said body, one of said rear wheels being journaled on the outer end of each of said outwardly extending legs, a spring acting between said body and each of said outwardly extending legs to bias said rear wheels downwardly relative to said body, and manually actuatable means connected by links to said upwardly extending legs for moving said rear wheels upwardly relative to said body against the bias of said springs.

7. In a suction cleaner according to claim 6 including a lost motion connection between said bell cranks and body constructed to permit downward movement of said body relative to said rear wheels upon pressure being applied to the rear of said body.

8. In a suction cleaner according to claim 6 in which said bell cranks, links and manually actuatable means are,

so connected that movement of said manually actuatable means to either of two alternative positions will move said rear wheels to two selectively alternative positions and hold said rear wheels in their alternate positions.

9. In a suction cleaner of the type having a body pro vided with front and rear pairs of supporting wheels and being formed with a laterally extending downwardly facing suction nozzle at its forward end, the front pair of supporting wheels being attached thereto rearwardly of the nozzle, that improvement which comprises a selectively adjustable mounting for the rear wheels of the cleaner, said improvement including, a bell crank pivoted to each side of said body adjacent the rear end thereof on an axis extending forwardly and rearwardly thereof. each of said bell cranks including a leg extending outwardly from the side of said body and a leg extending upwardly alongside of said body, a rear wheel journalled on the outer end of each of said outwardly extending legs, first spring means acting upon each of said outwardly extending legs to bias said rear wheels downwardly relative to said body, a manually actuable shaft journalled on said body on an axis extending forwardly and rearwardly thereof, a cross arm fixed to said shaft, 11 pair of links each pivotally connected at one end to the upper end of an upwardly extending leg of said bell cranks and pivotally connected at its other end to one end of said cross arm, second spring means biasing said shaft in opposition to said first spring means, the arrangement of said cross arm, links and bell cranks being such that in one position of said shaft and cross arm the resultant torque exerted by said first spring means will be greater than the torque exerted by said second spring means so as to hold said rear wheels in one selected adjusted position and in a second position the resultant torque exerted by said second spring means will be greater than the resultant torque exerted by said first spring means to hold said rear wheels in a second selected adjusted position.

10. In a suction cleaner according to claim 9 including a lost motion connection between each of said bell cranks and its pivot to permit bodily downwardly movement of the rear of said body relative to said rear wheels. 11. In a suction cleaner of the type having a body formed with a laterally extending downwardly facing suction nozzle at its forward end, provided with from supporting wheels to the rear of the nozzle and with a pair of rear supporting wheels attached to the sides of the body and separated by a portion of the body which obstructs direct connection between them, that improvement which comprises a bell crank pivoted to each side of said body adjacent the rear end thereof on an axis extending forwardly and rearwardly thereof, each of said bell cranks including a leg extending outwardly from the side of said body and a leg extending upwardly alongside of said body to a point above said obstructing portion, a rear wheel journalled on the outer end of each of said outwardly extending legs, a spring acting upon each of said outwardly extending legs to normally bias said rear wheels downwardly relative to said body, a manually actuatable shaft journalled on said body on a forwardly and rearwardly extending axis lying between the pivotal axes of said bell cranks, a cross arm fixed to said shaft, a link pivotally attached at one end to each of the upper ends of said upwardly extending legs and at their opposite ends to the opposite ends of said cross arm, said cross arm, shaft and links being so related that the pivot points of said links with said cross arm are movable past a dead center position relative to the axis of said shaft whereby said springs act to hold said rear wheels in upper and lower selected adjusted positions relative to said body.

12. In a suction cleaner of the type having a body formed with a laterally extending downwardly facing suction nozzle at its forward end, provided with front supporting wheels to the rear of the nozzle and with a pair of rear supporting wheels attached to the sides of the body and separated by a portion of the body which obstructs direct connection between them, that improvement which comprises a bell crank pivoted to each side of said body adjacent the rear end thereof upon an axis extending forwardly and rearwardly thereof, each of said bell cranks including a leg extending outwardly from said body to a point above said obstructing portion and a leg extending upwardly alongside of said body, a rear wheel journalled on the outer end of each of said outwardly extending legs, a spring acting upon each of said outwardly extending legs to normally bias said rear wheels downwardly relative to said body, a manually actuable shaft journallecl on said body on a forwardly and rearwardly extending axis lying between the pivotal axes of said bell cranks, a cam disc fixed to said shaft. oppositely curved cam slots formed in said disc each ending at one end adjacent said shaft and at the opposite end adjacent the peripheral edge of said disc. the inner and outer ends of said slots being spaced about 90 from each other angularly of said shaft, :1 pair of linkages pivotally connected at their outer ends to the upper ends of said upwardly extending legs of said bell cranks and slidably mounted in said cam slots at their inner ends, said cam slots and linkages being 50 related that in one position of said cam disc the inner ends of said linkages will be in substantial alignment with said shaft whereby manual rotation of said shaft will move said rear wheels to upper and lower adjusted positions and said spring will act to hold said rear wheels in each of their adjusted positions.

13. in a suction cleaner of the type having a body formed with a laterally extending downwardly facing suction nozzle at its forward end, provided with front supporting wheels to the rear of the nozzle and with a pair of rear supporting wheels attached to the sides of the body and separated by a portion of the body which obstructs direct connection between them, that improvement which comprises a bell crank pivoted to each side of said body adjacent the rear end thereof on an axis extending forwardly and rearwardly thereof, each of said bell cranks including a leg extending outwardly from said body to a point above said obstructing portion and a leg extending upwardly alongside of said body, a rear wheel journalled on the outer end of each of said outwardly extending legs, a spring acting upon each of said outwardly extending legs, to normally bias said rear wheels downwardly relative to said body, a manually actuatable shaft journalled on said body on a forwardly and rearwardly extending axis lying between the pivotal axes of said bell cranks, a disc fixed to said shaft, said disc being formed with a pair of arcuate slots, the inner ends of said slots being located adjacent the axis of said shaft and in align ment therewith and their outer ends being located adjacent the periphery of said disc and in alignment with said shaft, a pair of linkages each having its outer end pivoted to the upper end of one of said upwardly extending legs and its other end slidably mounted in one of said slots, the arrangement being such that rotation of said shaft in opposite directions will raise and lower said rear wheels relative to said body and bring either the inner or outer ends of said slots into a dead center position relative to said shaft whereby said springs will selectively hold said rear wheels in their upper or lower positions.

14. in a suction cleaner according to claim 17 including a lost motion connection between said bell cranks and their pivots whereby downward pressure of the rear of said body will move said body downwardly relative to said rear wheels and raise said nozzle whether said rear wheels are in their lower or upper adjusted positions.

15. In a suction cleaner, a body, a pair of hell cranks pivoted to said body at either side thereof, a supporting wheel journalled to one leg of each of said bell cranks, a pair of links each having one end connected to the other leg of one of said bell cranks, manually actuatable means for moving the free ends of said links toward and away from each other, first spring means for biasing said bell cranks in a direction to move said wheels downwardly relative to said body and second spring means for biasing said manually actuatable means in a direction to resist downward movement of said wheels relative to said body, said manually actuatable means and said links being so arranged that said second spring means will hold said wheels in their uppermost position when moved to that position and said first spring means will return said wheels to their lowermost position when moved from their up permost position.

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